I would say I am somewhat of a pacifistic yet I can say that certain things rile me up to the point where I want to beat someone with a very blunt
object. Such as mistreatment of animals or children. In a way I try to treat everyone as if they were family or best friend but often times it gets
thrown right back in your face...

I used to say I was a pacifist until I had to defend myself or I would have died.
I had no chance of any peaceful option.
We have to fight sometimes, be it a war (ww2 I would have fought in) or to protect ourselves and the people we love.

Originally posted by SolidFaith
I would say I am somewhat of a pacifistic yet I can say that certain things rile me up to the point where I want to beat someone with a very blunt
object. Such as mistreatment of animals or children. In a way I try to treat everyone as if they were family or best friend but often times it gets
thrown right back in your face...

Originally posted by boymonkey74
I used to say I was a pacifist until I had to defend myself or I would have died.
I had no chance of any peaceful option.
We have to fight sometimes, be it a war (ww2 I would have fought in) or to protect ourselves and the people we love.

As I've been studying my faith (christian) more closely the last few years, I've felt compelled to adopt a pacifist stance due to the teachings of
Christ and the witness of the early church (which was also pacifist for about the first three centuries until the time of Augustine's thoughts on
Just War and Constantine adopting christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, but I believe it was my reading of The Way of the Leaf in Jordan's The Wheel of Time series that really prompted me
to think about and look further into the bible on this topic. MLK had some excellent words on loving our enemies, and how hate and violence amplify
in a never-ending spiral of darkness. Gandhi's example of non-violent resistance is also excellent.

I'm with you, although I (in theory of my mind, which struggles against every fiber of my reason and natural response) believe we should stop even
before doing injury to another. The hardest of lessons:

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he
who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will
find it.

Will I be able to live up to this if ever tested on it? I don't know. Do we follow the Prince of Peace?

This is a subject I'm still trying to reason my way through, and sort out in my heart.

Maybe the fact that I wasn't born with a really strong self-protection instinct is the reason I'm a pacifist. Even though I adore my family, I don't
really feel vengefully protective of them like most people do. Like if someone said something bad about my mom, I'd be upset and defend her, but I
wouldn't feel like bashing the person's face in like most people would. I'm not quick to defend myself either.

You say that but in reality there was a lot of militant action in India at the time. Read up on Bhagat Singh for example, he effected the stance of
the Government nearly as much as Gandhi did. Gandhi is only seen greater than him because the ruling class promote pacifism as you can't overthrow
them using it.

Originally posted by Tea4One
Peaceful methods don't really work on the ruling class who only speak in terms of war and greed.

Not just the "ruling class", everyone. It's that animal instinct we haven't quite shaken off where we'll fight if in danger and have no other
option and we'll fight if someone has something else we want or to stand up for injustice.

Every war or skirmish in the last 100 years has been either preventative measure against an evil leader (such as in WW2 and the NATO airstrikes to
help the Libyan people against oppression) or retaliatory against an invasion or a murder (WW1, The Gulf War, War on Terror but also Iraq fits in with
the above thanks to Saddam Hussein's genocide of his own people since the 80s).

I will never fight unless I absolutely must and while I was keen on signing up and taking it to al Qaeda and the Hussein regime along with the
terrorists they and Palestine harboured back in 2003, I'm glad I didn't because I just wouldn't be good for my brothers and sisters in arms.

I could definitely put my own life on the line to rescue a comrade as a school friend did while serving in Afghanistan in 2004, receiving a medal upon
his return home, I just don't think I'd be able to shoot and kill someone unless they angered me first.

I don't see the human race as family though because if I'm absolutely honest, I despise the rest of this species for a variety of reasons.

Originally posted by SolidFaith
I would say I am somewhat of a pacifistic yet I can say that certain things rile me up to the point where I want to beat someone with a very blunt
object. Such as mistreatment of animals or children. In a way I try to treat everyone as if they were family or best friend but often times it gets
thrown right back in your face...

Abusive people need help, not hate.

Help is generally provided through consolation and what not. We certainly hear enough of Child abuse and neglect and people usually get help but seem
to turn around and do it after a while. While this is not always the case it does happen and it is just sickening. Often times it just seems like a
front they put up to get people to avert their eyes so they can do it again.

Originally posted by lampsalot
I would never kill a person no matter what. The worst I would do is injure someone, to defend a loved one, but I would never try to kill them. That is
why I will never carry a gun.

I also oppose all war including the Allied involvement in WW2. I think there's always a non-violent solution.

edit on 28-12-2011 by lampsalot
because: (no reason given)

Your ideals are like a fairystory.

Killing someone is the new black!!

Life is not so valuable anymore.

Just ask the US government - Its citizens are worth less than a bowl full of Cancer medication or the AIDS cure.

In fact a piece of property is worth more to the Banks and US government than the US citizen. Just look at the foreclosures in the last two years that
put people on the street!!

So to protect a loved one from imminent danger. I say kill them and do it slow!!

I work in a secure mental health unit and we are taught C&R to help us defend ourselves, (It is none harmful to our patients and its no hitting etc
only defense and restraining, not restraining by using pain btw) and I was put into a bad situation and a guy much bigger than me and very very ill
smashed a glass and ran at me, I pulled my alarm but the alarm did not go off so I knocked the glass out of his hand but he bit my arm until it bleed
and we both fell to the ground, he kept on biting me so I did what I had to do I hit him until he let go.
I broke his jaw and I had to goto Hospital for 4 days because of the bite wound.
I thought to myself Iam in trouble here but after a interview (with police) they said I did the right thing because he could of killed me.
I sued the company I worked for and won (due to the fact that the personal alarm coverage was not all over the building).
I have had to do something like that again to stop a workmate getting raped, and let me tell you when you see that red mist falls and all the
training just went out of the window, they had to pull me off but I saved a girl from getting raped.
I got a award for that...never wanted it because I was ashamed that I had lost it so much.

Yes, I do still need to look further into India/British history, as I believe you've mentioned to me previously.

I'm speaking here mainly to the spiritual aspect, and not necessarily to the politically-successful one - at least until I get around to looking
further into it. That said, I'm fond of saying "You're born - insert details - you die." Despite how wound up we get in things here, and how
important it is for us to try to make the world as best we can while we're here, this world is passing away. Only eternity matters, if there is
one...and I believe there is, speaking only for myself.

Originally posted by lampsalot
Maybe the fact that I wasn't born with a really strong self-protection instinct is the reason I'm a pacifist. Even though I adore my family, I
don't really feel vengefully protective of them like most people do. Like if someone said something bad about my mom, I'd be upset and defend her,
but I wouldn't feel like bashing the person's face in like most people would. I'm not quick to defend myself either.

I'm slow to anger ...

edit on 28-12-2011 by lampsalot because: (no reason given)

In a way I'm the same, I wouldn't feel like I would get revenge for an attack of some kind on my family (I attended the funeral of a great
grandfather last year, he was buried with full military honours due to his time serving in WW2 as one of those who stormed Normandy yet he refused to
speak about what he saw and experienced) but then and with other deaths in the family, I just can't find myself getting upset for some reason.

I cry when I'm at my lowest ebb and I cried once during a video tribute package to a pro wrestler in 2005 when they played the Johnny Cash cover of
"Hurt" during it but otherwise, I don't cry.

It's also strange that I'm very quick to anger and retaliate with sarcasm but it takes a lot to get me violent and when I am, I can be downright
dangerous. A college friend punched me repeatedly in the kidney once during a festival as we sat in our tent and I let it slide for a few minutes
until I couldn't take it, dragged his much taller and heavier self out of the tent and almost ended him right there with a rear naked choke. I
literally squeezed the air out of his throat and ribs with my arm and legs but I haven't been that angered ever since.

I guess in the spiritual aspect of it rather than the political aspect being peaceful is of a higher path. It fulfils man more so than violence I
think. If there is eternity as you believe, peace would be the only way to attain it.

Much gratitude and love to you then for doing that, especially preventing a rape.

An old school friend's mother worked at a facility nearby for 20 or more years and whenever we'd wrestle at his house, she'd come home and we'd
ask her to put us in hammerlocks and let me tell you, a woman as small and light as her making you hurt in that hold twice as fast and twice as much
as a guy twice her size and height isn't to be laugehd at.

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.